There is an interesting story to the Cambodia gambling dens that lie just across the border from next door Thailand, where gambling den betting is illegal. Eight gambling dens are based in a generally tiny space in the municipality of Poipet in Cambodia. This group of Cambodia gambling halls is in a prime spot, a three to 4 hour drive from Bangkok and Macao, the two largest wagering locations in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a huge business with Thai laborers and travelers from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with only very few Westerners. The astonishing income gained from the casinos ranges from seven and a half million dollars to more than twelve and a half million dollars, and there are a couple of restrictions requirements for casino ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; still, investment sources are cryptic. The borders are officially open from 0900 to 1700, and though visas are apparently needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is true of most borders.
The 1st Cambodia gambling halls premiered in Phnom Penh in 1994, but were forced to close in 1998, leaving only a single gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, a moored boat casino, highlights one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 60 table games. The Naga river boat never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, four tables of blackjack, 10 of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and 1 each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st gambling den in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in the late nineties and the Golden Crown soon opened. There are one hundred and fifty slot machine games and 5 tables at the Golden Crown and 104 slots and sixty eight tables at the Holiday Palace. The newest Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights three hundred slot machine games and seventy gaming tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machine games and ninety six gaming tables, including 87 baccarat chemin de fer (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with one hundred and thirty five slot machine games and 66 of the familiar gaming tables, as well as a single table of Casino Stud Poker. One more of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and ninety seven games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of a comprehensive vacation and hotel compound that features many conveniences aside from the casino, which has 10,000 square feet of 130 slot machines and 88 tables.